Pound of Flesh
by Shembre
Summary: Evil lies in the eye of the beholder. When Simba chooses to bring Kovu to the Pride Lands, the young Outsider's world is thrown into chaos. Born to fulfill Zira's dreams, but raised to believe he's more than a murderer, Kovu must decide to grow beyond Zira's expectations or remain loyal to his family... to decide who rises... and who falls. AU.
1. Divisions

**(A/N: Hi everybody! This is my newest TLK project. I've had this idea floating around for a while now, and didn't really develop it until this year- you readers can thank readsmanyfavesfew for pushing this project forward! :)**

**For those of you who followed Just Beneath the Surface, who put up with my slow updates, I already have this story completely drafted so I can just take my time with the editing process at a chapter-by-chapter basis. Not to say the editing won't take time, but that this story should go along a little smoother- and hopefully be quicker.**

**So here is the story! I hope you all enjoy it.)**

* * *

Kovu smiled down at the termite he'd caught, letting it run its long, delicate wings over his rough paw pads. The bug sat there, buzzing faintly, before it took flight above Kovu's head.

"Kovu! Stop letting them go."

The young, brown-furred cub gaped as his mother snatched the bug out of the air and slapped it on the ground, squashing and smearing it across the dry earth. Scowling, Zira leaped towards Kovu. "What's the matter with you?"

Kovu arched his eyebrows. "Mother, why'd you hurt him? 'Cos he wasn't hurting me."

"What?" Zira snorted and rolled her eyes. She shook her head. "My son… Do you want to live here forever, or do you want to live in the Pride Lands?"

"The... Pride Lands...?" Kovu replied unsurely. "But what does that haveta do with termites?"

Zira sat down and pulled Kovu close, his cheek pressing into her light-furred, boney-ribbed side. "Remember when Mummy said Scar chose you to follow in his pawprints? When you were born, he came to me in a dream and spoke of the greatness inside of you."

With a claw, she tipped Kovu's chin up and smiled at him.

"Yes, yes. You are Scar's heir- he sent you to me- and when I look into your beautiful green eyes, I can see a destiny filled with great things."

Kovu broke his mother's intense red-eyed stare for a moment before looking up again. "Great things?"

"Yes, my son. You will be our hero. And that's why we must fulfill Scar's wish and train you to become the next king, to take back your throne from Simba. Don't feel anything for these dirty little termites. They're nothing. What matters is that you avenge Scar's murder." She let him go and stalked away. Her sweet smile morphed into a toothy grimace and her lilting voice became a snarl.

"When you take back the Pride Lands, we will no longer be forced to live in these dry, barren, disgusting, pathetic, termite-infested Outlands!"

Zira backhanded one of the many termite mounds that littered the territory of cracked earth and shriveled, brittle plant life. Dirt tumbled to the ground. Wingless termites scrambled to climb off their backs.

Kovu looked down at his paws. His mother always spoke of the greatness she saw in him, and always told Kovu how Scar wanted him to take back his rightful throne, but Kovu wondered if he had the kind of greatness inside of him that his mother wanted him to have.

_I think I do- it's good to fight against someone who's hurt you and your family- but I wish Mother would rest some of her dreams and expectations on someone else's shoulders... I wish we could go someplace else and I could do great things there._

"Mother, mother!"

"Mother!"

Kovu cocked his head to the side as a scruffy, dark-furred adolescent lion and a tawny girl cub bounded eagerly towards them. Zira turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Mother, mother! We snuck, like you wanted, into the Pride Lands!" Nuka reported breathlessly, skidding to a stop.

"And we saw everything, Mother!" Vitani added.

"Everything!" Nuka exclaimed. He tried to shove Vitani backwards, but she ducked away from his paw. "We saw the_ whole _thing!"

Vitani cried, "We saw Simba's new cub! It's a girl!"

"A girl?" Zira cackled. "Ha! Some heir!" She then closed her eyes, a peaceful look softening the harsh angles on her smiling face. "Scar, my beloved, did you hear that? Another defining moment in Simba's reign…"

Kovu frowned, bothered by the way his mother spoke to Scar as if he were still alive.

Zira continued, snarling, "Our future will be extraordinarily bright once Kovu becomes king. Simba's brat can be easily removed, too."

"Y'know, speaking of kings," Nuka remarked, "I was just thinking that since I'm the oldest, that I should be king. Huh? I could-?"

"Don't be a fool, Nuka," Zira snapped. She raised a paw and Nuka cowered. She then shook her head and chuckled. "You'll never be as strong as Scar was, and Simba overthrew him. Scar knew it the moment he laid eyes on you. We all know Kovu is the future king."

Nuka laughed nervously. "Just a thought."

"You can stop that thinking." Zira turned away from Nuka and walked back towards Kovu, who she nudged towards Nuka. "Take your brother. Make sure he kills something, Nuka. How is he going to get anything done if he keeps letting termites get away? Mummy can't stand another minute of it, and she needs to report this news to the lionesses."

"Oh, yeah, okay, Mother." Nuka straightened up. He smiled over his shoulder at Zira as she walked away with Vitani. "I can do that."

"Hey, Nuka?" Kovu asked, looking up at his older brother. "Why _is_ it me who has to fight Simba? I think you could-"

"Shut up," Nuka snapped. "C'mon, let's go get you to squish something."

Kovu batted at a rock. "But I don't really want to."

Nuka started to walk. "You're shaping up to be one fierce killer," he spat.

Kovu's eyes widened. "Killer?" he squeaked. "What're you talkin' about, Nuka?"

"Mother wants you to kill Simba. How didn't you already know that?"

"You're lying. Mother didn't say- I thought-"

Nuka rolled his eyes. "Do you wanna live in the Outlands all your life?"

The fur between his eyes puckered. "No..."

"Then you'll just squish something. Just remember- it's Simba's fault we're in the Outlands," Nuka said, repeating their mother's mantra. Then he muttered under his breath, "And Mother's dream is why _you'll_ avenge Scar instead of me."

"I _know_ all of that. That's all she talks about. Ever. I wish she'd stop."

"She'll stop once you kill Simba. Then she'll just tell you how great you are every day."

Kovu trotted behind his brother, eyes on the ground, thoughtfully flicking the dark end of his tail. When referring to the Pride Rock lion, his mother had always said that Kovu was going to 'fight' or 'get Simba out of the way'. Never 'kill' like Nuka had said. Kovu had thought his job was to chase Simba and his family away like Simba had exiled him and his family.

_But Simba did kill Scar and steal his throne- my throne- and that's bad. Simba deserves to die for treason and murder, right? And if I take back my throne, then my family won't have to live here anymore. They won't suffer in the Pride Lands like they do here. That's good, too, right? I don't want to live here, either, and I don't want to disappoint my family..._

Kovu lowered his ears. All the justifications were there, shaped and illustrated for him by his mother for as long as he could remember, but he still didn't feel good about it… there was something he couldn't put a paw on. Something was off. He realized then that something had always been off, but even more so now that he knew he would be killing Simba and not just fighting him. Being the hero for his family meant he would have to take a life.

_Was I really just born for killing? To right the wrong that happened to Scar? Is that it? Isn't there anything more than that?_

* * *

Simba stood on the tip of Pride Rock, which had been the center of attention that morning. Now, the gazelle, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, and other prey animals had abandoned it, leaving the lions who hunted them to relax and celebrate after the presentation ceremony. The cooling evening air smelled strongly of grass and faintly of musk. Simba sighed, taking in the peaceful scene and remembering how several days before it had just been him, Nala, and the building anticipation of a new life preparing to be born. His life had changed. He was a father, though he hesitated to add 'again' to that thought.

Nala was sleeping in the den with their new daughter, Kiara, who had been presented to the Pride Lands by Rafiki, the lion pride's shaman. The lionesses were doting on Kiara, happy to have their pride blessed by such a healthy, beautiful princess. Simba was thrilled to have a daughter, a little miracle. His heart lifted when he nuzzled her and felt the warmth of her soft fur against his nose, but it also clenched behind his ribs when he remembered the son he had lost not too long ago.

Kopa hadn't been strong enough to live past two months, weak from the first day he had entered the world. Sometimes the pain from the loss was relentless, and when he wasn't in pain, Simba felt guilty- the decision to try for another heir had weighed heavily on both him and Nala, but ultimately they hadn't had much of a choice.

He squeezed his eyes shut and recalled a fading memory...

_"Daddy, can you tell me another story?"_

_ Simba laughed. "But I've already told you two. Aren't you tired yet?"_

_ "Nu-uh! Tell me another, tell me another!"_

_ "Well… Which one…?" Simba had mused in mock thought._

_ "I want to hear the one about that snake who wanted to eat Timon!"_

"You look anxious, my son."

Reality jerked Simba back. He turned and sighed when he saw his mother. "Just thinking, that's all."

"About what?" Sarabi sat down next to him.

Simba looked away guiltily. "Kopa…"

"He would want you to enjoy this moment, Simba."

"It's just… I miss him." Simba looked up at the sky. "I wonder if I didn't do enough to help him get better. I know Rafiki did everything he could to save my son." He heaved a breath. "I know I had to have an heir, but his life was more than just… just a replacement for me and Nala once we're gone. And when I look at Kiara I see him, and I know that isn't right." Simba turned to his mother. "I don't think I'll be able to help it. I wish the Circle of Life wasn't so cruel sometimes."

Sarabi pursed her mouth. "Simba... I know what it is like to lose a son… but I also don't know everything that you're going through because Kopa isn't coming back. I was lucky." With her cheek, she nudged his red mane, so much like his father's, before she looked up at the sky. "The Great Kings must have a plan. Kopa would understand, don't worry. And your father is looking after him."

Simba looked away.

_I'd rather have Kopa here with me…_

"Why don't we go back into the cave? Nala was asking for you."

Simba sighed, and forced his painful worries to the back of his mind. They stood up and he forced a smile for his mother. "Kiara's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Very beautiful. And strong."

Simba looked to the side. "Do you think I can keep her and Nala safe? From Zira? The Outsiders can't seem to stay out of the Pride Lands." He feared that Zira, Scar's most dedicated follower, would return and make good on her vows of revenge. After he had exiled Zira and her savage lionesses, he'd sent his majordomo, Zazu, to follow them. Sure enough, they had only moved across the border. Lately, Simba and his pride had found evidence of prey poaching, but he had yet to catch them. The fur along his spine prickled in anger and repulsion when he patrolled along their shared border, and the disdain he felt for Zira and her sick mind only deepened. She had gone into the wilderness with her three cubs, followed by several lionesses who feared that their weak, sickly, and starving cubs would be killed, although he had assured them they were safe. He wasn't even sure if they were Scar's cubs or not- all the lionesses had sworn they weren't, but he wasn't so sure. Others had simply gone out of loyalty to Scar. It was their loyalty that he understood the least.

_I lost one cub when the Great Kings called him home. I won't lose Kiara to a psychotic monster._

"Don't worry. You have family and your pride," his mother told him, standing up and leading him towards the den. "Zira's no match for us."

_I'm not so sure about that..._ Simba thought as he entered the cave behind her. _When you're determined, you can do just about anything. I think Zira is certainly determined. She might have tried to kill Kopa if he'd lived longer._

The temperature dropped inside the cave, but heat radiated off the pride of fifteen lionesses and one small cub. Sarabi went to her sleeping spot while Simba walked over to his mate, who was resting in the center of the den. Nala's head was on her paws, her eyes closed, but she stretched when he nosed the top of her head. Kiara was nursing.

"Hey," he murmured, lying down next to her.

"Hey…" When Nala opened her teal eyes and took in Simba's worried expression, the space between her sharp eyes creased. "Is everything all right, Simba? You look like you're hiding something."

"Nah, I was just getting some air," Simba said as he nuzzled Nala again, smoothing away his worry and putting more effort into his smile. He couldn't burden his mate with his worries when she already had her own. He groomed her cheek. "Everything is fine." He gazed at the small ball of orange fur. "How is she?"

The crinkle smoothed out a bit between Nala's eyes. "Tired and hungry," she sighed. "I finally got her to settle down… Rafiki said she's very healthy." There was a small note of joy in her soft voice.

Simba smiled. "That's great news." As he stared at Kiara, his grief started to resurface.

_I cannot lose Kiara, too._

"Are you sure you're okay, Simba?" Nala watched him worriedly. Her eyes were beginning to mist.

Simba pursed his mouth and nodded slowly. "We should be happy." When he rested his chin on her paws, she laid her head over the back of his neck and snuggled her head into his red mane."I love you, Nala," he whispered.

Nala sighed. "I love you, too, Simba."

_And I'll always protect you and our daughter._

* * *

**(A/N: The next chapter is on its way to being polished, but I'm still working on it. I'm also finishing up my last quarter of college and my assignments just keep adding up. Good news is, I am completely done the second week of June before I start hunting for work! Thanks for reading!)**


	2. Choice

_**(A/N: Back with a new chapter! It's nice to do a little creative writing after busting out 3 essays last week- but the good news is that they were the last essays I needed to write for my degree! So let's celebrate with a some fun writing. :) And thanks for reviewing, faving, and following, peeps! I appreciate it. I hope you enjoy!)**_

* * *

_I wonder if Simba makes his cub train, too... probably not though..._

Nuka's lazy style of training suited both Kovu and Nuka, especially since their mother's training style had only become more ruthless now that Simba's cub was in the picture- and for weeks, that was all their mother had talked about. Kovu even suspected that the other lionesses were getting sick of hearing her talk.

_"Kovu, your training is coming right along. You'll be more than ready when you meet Simba. Simba will be no match. And once the lionesses complete their training, controlling the pride will be no issue... too bad they were too soft when Simba returned."_

_ "Simba's daughter doesn't deserve to be Scar's great-niece."_

_ "How do you expect to take the pridelands when all of you refuse to take the day before sunrise?"_

_ "Those pridelanders didn't appreciate Scar for his mind. Well, not only do we have Kovu's sharp mind, but also the strength he'll have that will rival any king that Pride Rock has ever seen. We left grieving, in fear for our lives, but we will return triumphant!"_

She had told the brothers to train without her while she stayed behind at the den and trained Vitani and the other cubs. Nuka was sunning himself on a rock, and had told Kovu to lie down in a hunter's crouch and be quiet. Although they could stay there peacefully, Kovu felt a nagging awareness in the back of his mind to not be idle, and soon enough the sun became unbearable on its own.

Kovu's voice was hoarse from thirst, and his stomach was empty. "I want to go see Vitani. Can I leave?"

"No, stay there. I'm not ready to go back yet."

"Nuka, this is dumb."

"You won't think it's dumb when you have to hunt Simba for hours without him knowing."

Kovu groaned. "Nuka, there isn't even any grass here. There's plenty of grass to cover me in the Pride Lands. It won't be hard."

Nuka snorted. "Smartass, how about I take you back and you can train with Mother? Huh?"

Kovu flinched. He had trained with her the day before. Every muscle on his body had ached so terribly that he'd found it hard to sleep the night before. He was too much of a coward to whine to her, but every time he was on the verge of complaint his mother seemed to sense it.

_"You must develop your strength, Kovu! You're sore now, but you'll thank me later!"_

_ "One more lap around the den! It might make all the difference!"_

_ "Stop looking so sad and tired! Simba isn't going to just lie down in front of you and beg you to take your throne!"_

Nuka cracked an eyelid. "That's what I thought, termite. Now sit there and pretend you're stalking Simba."

Kovu rolled his eyes, but crouched back down with his chin on his outstretched paws.

_ No wonder Mother doesn't like you, Nuka_. _You can't even do anything halfway good!_

Kovu looked up at his brother. "Maybe... if you tried harder, Nuka, Mother would notice and like you more."

"Do you really think I care if she likes me?" Nuka's words were indifferent, but his voice betrayed a small ring of bitterness. "You're her favorite."

Kovu sat up and frowned. "Well, sometimes I wish I weren't."

Snorting, Nuka rolled over on his rock. "Well, too bad 'cos you are. You're not even Scar's kid."

Kovu narrowed his eyes. "You always say stuff like that, Nuka, but I don't even know what you mean."

_Nuka always says things like that, acknowledging Scar with disgust most of the time- especially when everybody else's faces light up when Mother talks about Scar..._

"Why d'you get mad that I'm not Scar's son?" Kovu asked more directly. "Are you jealous?"

"I don't wanna talk about it, ya lil' twerp," Nuka said. His shoulders tensed.

"Well, why are you mad that I'm gonna kill Simba because he killed Scar? Don't you want that, too, like Mother?"

"I'd rather be back in the Pride Lands, if that's what you mean."

"Not really..." Kovu narrowed his eyes. "Nuka... I know nobody has really said it, but... Scar _was _your father, ri-"

"I _said _I don't wanna _talk about it!"_

In one motion, Nuka rolled off the rock and shoved Kovu off his paws. The cub would have been impressed by what was perhaps the most graceful thing Nuka had ever done, if it weren't for the older brother pushing him down. Nuka stood over him with his lips curled back over his crooked teeth.

Kovu shook his head and glared back at his brother. "Fine then." He lifted his chin before climbing back to his paws. "If you don't wanna talk about it, I'm gonna go find Vitani."

"Fine."

Kovu started to walk away, but turned back when Nuka stayed behind. "You're s'posed to watch me, you know."

"So?"

"Mother's gonna be mad."

"And what's new about that?"

"I might get lost. Something might eat me."

"Pfft, have fun." Nuka jumped back on the rock and sat down.

With a huff of his own, Kovu turned back around. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance."

"Good-bye, _Cho-sen One_."

Kovu sighed and shook his head.

_Good luck if Mother finds out... Maybe she'll be too distracted to notice..._

Wandering back the way he and his brother had come from their den, Kovu's continued to linger on Nuka and Scar. Nuka _had_ been around during Scar's reign, and their mother _had _been his most loyal lioness.

_If Scar was Nuka's father, wouldn't it make more sense that Nuka would be the one to go after Simba? And why is it me? Why would Scar want me to avenge his murder instead, like Mother says, if I'm not even Scar's son? And Mother adores Scar, but hates Nuka... Why? Wouldn't she love his son, if my guess is true? Wouldn't she be proud of him and want him to kill the killer of his father? Did Mother like _my_ father better? Was he better, whoever he is? Wherever he is?_

His thoughts then skipped to his Mother and her dreams for him. She had so much planned for him that all of it made his head spin. She obviously wanted him to hate Simba and his entire family. They were the enemy, the murderers, the mutineers. The ones who made his pride suffer in exile.

_Not like us._

But something about it all made him choke on everything she expected him to swallow and take to heart- he was mostly indifferent and angry, but not hateful like his mother. He was unsure if he even knew what it felt like to hate because he didn't think he felt it.

_What's wrong with me? Shouldn't I want them to die? Shouldn't I want to help the family? I want to, but... I'd rather find someplace else to live. What's so great about the Pride Lands? Does that make me a coward? Mother would say I'm a coward like Nuka if I told her..._

While he'd been preoccupied with his thoughts, he had wandered, guided by his nose, to the river that separated the Outlands from the Pride Lands. Vitani had told him days before that that part of the river had crocodiles in it to keep them from trespassing in the Pride Lands. He'd told her she was lying, but she'd sworn she wasn't. When he stood on the bank, he searched the meandering current for life.

_But that water looks so disgusting!_

He couldn't spot anything beneath the murky surface, but he did find a fallen tree that linked his home to the Pride Lands.

Kovu blinked and looked around self-consciously. The opportunity was too good to pass up- he hadn't been to the Pride Lands since the exile, and he remembered nothing about it. His mother had warned him, Vitani, and the other cubs to stay away from the Pride Lands for fear of being killed- but despite this, the adults frequently went there to hunt under the stars.

_Maybe I'll just look, then I'll come right back. It's about time I learned more about the Pride Lands, right? Maybe it won't make me so afraid to kill Simba..._

He walked over to the tree and leaped high to catch his claws in the dry, gray wood. Moving slowly and steadily, he crossed the river. Below him, threatening rumbles came from the floating, dark-skinned beasts that hid most of their armored bodies beneath the surface of the murky water.

Kovu grinned at the crocodiles.

_Cool... But I wouldn't want to stare down any of their throats..._

He continued across the log to the other side and leaped onto the solid land where he stopped and gaped. Immediately, he was struck by how bright the grass was as it swayed in the breeze. In a daze, he walked up and ran his paws through the blades, and instead of breaking off, the green grass sprang back.

_Is this the place that will be mine one day? It's beautiful…_

"Hey, come here!"

Cold panic went up the back of Kovu's neck, and he ducked and looked around when he heard the voice, ready to run back across the dead tree trunk if anyone tried to catch him. He couldn't see anyone, but he heard someone giggling and panting excitedly through the grass.

"Wait! Come here! I just wanna play! Hey!"

Kovu lowered his ears and tilted his head to the side.

_Are you talking to me?_

The voice didn't sound harsh or demanding at all. After looking over his shoulder once more, Kovu crept into the grass. Before long, he found the source of the voice. He peeked through the grass. There was a small girl cub playing in the middle of a small clearing. She was jumping up in the air, giggling, and batting at an orange and yellow butterfly.

Kovu laughed to himself.

_How silly, playing with a butterfly… _

He lowered his eyes and continued to watch her.

_I wonder if she's Simba's cub. Is this is my competition? Is this Simba's heir?_

Kovu crept forward slightly, but in the same moment, the other cub raised her ears and stopped playing. She looked around and arched an eyebrow. "Heee-llloo?" She sat down and the butterfly fluttered off.

For a second, Kovu hesitated before he growled, still hiding. "You let your _butterfly_ get away, pridelander."

"Oh." The cub flinched at his tone, but she looked around. "I'll find another one. There's lots around here." She stood up again. "Who are you?"

"Kovu." He stood up and stepped into the clearing.

"Oh, there you are. I'm Kiara," she chirped with a smile before she observed, "Wow, your fur is really dark."

Kovu wrinkled his nose. "Well, yours is really orange. What's your point, pridelander?"

Kiara arched her brows and averted her eyes, seemingly in embarrassment. "I-I was just- I mean... _Nobody_ has fur like yours in my pride. Where are you from?" She then paused and a crinkle formed between her brown eyes, which went up and down when she noticed that he was almost twice her size. "Are you from the Outlands? Is that why you keep calling me a 'pridelander'?"

Kovu puffed out his chest. "Yes, I'm an Outsider." He took a step towards her, and then another when Kiara started to back away. "Are you scared, pridelander?"

Kiara shook her head and took a small step back. "N-no…"

"You sure?" He chuckled. "You sure look scar-"

"I'm not scared!" Kiara then started to weave and jump from side to side. She growled and bared her teeth.

_What the…_

Kovu suppressed a laugh and raised an eyebrow. Her form was all wrong, but this was more than he had expected from a soft pridelander.

"What're you doing?"

"My father says to never turn your back on an Outsider! And my father is the king!"

_So she is the princess!_

He snorted. "You always do what Daddy says?"

"No!"

Kovu laughed. "Bet you do! Bet you're Daddy's little-"

With a booming roar, a huge, golden-furred, red-maned lion burst from the grass behind Kiara, casting her and Kovu in shadow. The lion bared his long fangs and lowered his head as he looked at the grass behind Kovu.

_Oh, my..._

Gaping in awe with his eyes wide, Kovu pressed his belly to the dirt.

_I should've stayed in the Outlands..._

* * *

Simba bared his teeth at the young, dark-furred cub who had menaced his daughter. Quickly, he scanned the grass for any trace of any other Outsiders. He regretted mentioning the Outlands to Kiara before she had gone for her walk. He was disappointed in Timon and Pumbaa. They had lowered their guard while watching Kiara, allowing her to slip away unnoticed.

_Did this cub come over here by himself? Is he alone? I can't believe Kiara wandered this far! She doesn't even understand how dangerous-_

"Daddy!"

Simba snapped back to reality when his daughter ran up and hid behind his legs. "Kiara, are you all right?" Simba looked his daughter over. "Are you hurt?"

"Nuh-uh, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Daddy, I'm fi-"

"I told you to stay on the path I marked for you. Don't run off again, understand?"

Kiara nodded and looked down, her ears lowered. "Okay."

_I'll have to teach her to understand. She didn't even know how much danger she was in..._

Simba then turned to the Outsider cub. The strange cub was covering his head with his paws and he was shaking violently in fear. Simba even heard a little whimper. His eyes widened even more when Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, and three other lionesses, who had all been looking for Kiara, caught up with Simba.

"Who are you?" Simba growled at the cub.

"K-Kovu."

_Kovu...?_

Simba looked carefully at the cub's dark fur and green eyes, and sure enough he recalled the name of one of the young cubs he'd exiled. A small chill ran up his spine. "Is Zira your mother?"

"Yes, he is my son, Simba."

A sharp jolt of surprise hit Simba when Zira appeared from the grass and slinked up behind Kovu. Simba growled at her sly smirk. He was glad he had Nala and his lionesses behind him. Still, all Zira had to do was leap forward...

"Get out," Simba snarled. "I banished you. Leave with your son now. Because he was the one trespassing, I will let this go, but _you_ know the penalty for returning to my lands."

Zira rolled her eyes. She muttered, "Your lands..." The end of her tail flicked from side to side. She gazed knowingly, yet lazily, at his growling lionesses.

Simba bared his teeth. "Don't think I'm oblivious to the poaching you do in the Pride Lands."

"We have to eat, don't we? We have to feed our cubs."

"If you found lands elsewhere, you could all eat without trespassing."

Zira snorted and then spat on the ground next to Kovu, who was now sitting up. "Fine, I'll go." A slow smile stretched Zira's narrow muzzle. "But, I can't help but feel this deal is a little lopsided... So, if you need your pound of flesh for my trespass, here," Zira cooed as she lowered her head and slid an unwilling Kovu over to him with her nose before she stepped back. "I would be more than glad to offer you my son as payment in full."

Simba's eyes widened and several lionesses gasped.

_What? She's offering her own son to me? Why?_

Simba curled his lip in disgust as he looked down at the cub shivering pitifully before him.

_Is this a challenge? Is this some sick joke? Is she mocking me? This is a joke, right?_

Simba hadn't seen Kovu since he'd been turned out with his family, and Simba noted how scrawny he was. The cub was about four months older than Kiara, but he was still undersized. The penalty for returning to the Pride Lands after an exile was to take a pound of flesh, but killing an innocent cub who had just strayed into forbidden lands seemed too cruel for Simba to stomach. Simba knew, however, that he was obligated to destroy the son of his enemy, the very cub Zira had claimed had been hand-chosen by Scar from beyond the grave.

A breeze ruffled Simba's mane. He looked up from Kovu to the Zira, who beamed back malevolently. He could see just about every tooth in the back of her jaw. He then looked back down at Kovu, who was shivering even harder than before.

_Do I kill him? Right here and now? And in front of Kiara? His life must be a constant struggle for food, despite all the poaching. I can't imagine Zira as a loving, positive influence... She is insane._

He'd always felt guilty about sending all the Outsider cubs away with their frightened mothers. And who was to say that they would repeat their predecessor's actions? Wasn't generosity and forgiveness some of a good king's best qualities? His train of thought then went somewhere he never would have considered when he had woken up that morning.

_And in staying with the Outsiders, there's a higher chance that Kovu will return with Zira's delusions drilled into his head. Every last false one of them. He might look scrawny now, but he's no Scar or even Nuka._

"What? All talk and no action, hmm?" Zira taunted. She took a step towards her son.

_So she is mocking me._

Without answering, Simba quickly raised his paw, put it on Kovu's back, and pulled the Outsider cub forward. Simba's paw pads tingled when they touched Kovu's dusty, slightly matted fur. Several lionesses behind Simba again gave a collective gasp.

"Simba..." he heard Nala say.

"No, please, Simba!" Kovu cried as Zira stood back in mid-step, her eyes wide.

Inwardly, Simba was spiteful towards Zira's apparent shock.

_You swore up and down that I'd kill your cubs, and so you convinced the other lionesses to leave, too, with theirs. Now you challenge me to kill your son, and you're surprised when it looks like I might?_

"I-I-I promise I won't come back!" Kovu went on, his voice strangled by terror.

Gently, Simba nudged Kovu until they were standing side by side. The cub, bewildered, looked up at the king when Simba said quietly, "It's all right, just sit here for now."

Kovu gaped openly back at him as he sat with his shoulders hunched over. He and Kiara exchanged a quick, confused look.

Somehow, Simba couldn't help but smile back at the cub. He wasn't even sure what he was thinking- taking in his enemy's cub on the spot. He had menaced his daughter.

_But would I be able to watch Zira take her son back with her otherwise? She's an unfit mother- she didn't even think twice about using Kovu as a sacrifice... Why, I do not know._

The smile fell from Simba's face and his eyes narrowed when he snapped his gaze onto Zira, who stood there chuckling, the shock and terror gone.

_You are insane..._

"And what will you do with my son?"

"Consider your trespassing forgotten, Zira. Just get out of my sight," Simba growled, "we're finished here." He turned away from her and picked up Kiara as an uneasy chill ran down his spine. Nodding, he gestured for Nala to hustle Kovu along. He was too big to carry. Nala was gentle as she nudged the terrified and confused-looking cub. Kiara's scruff was gently held between Simba's teeth.

"Of course, Simba, as you wish." Zira turned away from the pridelanders. One of the pride lionesses snarled warningly when Zira paused and looked back at Simba. "But you're very wrong to think that this is over," she added, slowly shaking her head.

Simba narrowed his eyes at Zira. With Kiara's scruff in his mouth, he could say nothing as the lioness' eyes fell upon his cringing daughter.

A foreboding smile widened the pale-furred lioness' jaw. She chuckled darkly as she said, "We have barely begun…"

_You are insane._

Nala's calm, firm voice came from behind Simba. "But we will finish what you have started in your own head, Zira."

Simba and his pride growled at Zira as she padded off, chuckling, her gait slow as if she thought her words would linger in the minds of her enemies the longer they watched her go.

One of the lionesses in the pride snorted. "Who gives away their own son like that?"

Another one muttered, more worryingly, "Who takes in the son of their enemy?"

Inwardly, Simba cringed. Although his mind was whirling too fast to fully acknowledge the jibe, he lifted his chin. He avoided Nala's glance as he led the lionesses and Kovu back to Pride Rock.

_What did I just do?_


	3. Home

**(A/N: I'm back with an unusually fast update! I finished editing and couldn't resist posting. Thank you to those who have reviewed so far!**

**Enjoy!)**

* * *

"_What_ did you think you were doing when you let Kovu go off on his own?"

Vitani watched anxiously from the side in the cool, dark den as her mother laid into Nuka for letting Kovu wander into the Pride Lands. The adolescent cowered before the bristling lioness.

_You just made your biggest mistake, brother..._

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Nuka's eyes widened. "W-w-well, I-I-I..."

"Did you think you could shirk your duty?"

"I-I-I no- Aaahhh!"

"A dis_grace_!" Zira swatted at Nuka, but when he ducked she struck the loose dirt of the den wall. She snarled angrily. "Now Simba has Kovu! And it's all your fault!"

During the tirade, their pridemates had left the den to Zira and her remaining cubs. Vitani was still trying to understand everything that had happened as she watched Nuka crawl to a deeper part of the tunneled den.

_Why would Simba just take Kovu away? Is he waiting to kill Kovu? Is he going to do it at Pride Rock?_

"Kovu has gone to live with Simba," Zira moaned sadly. She fell to the ground and laid with one paw over her face.

_How can my brother be gone? Is he gone forever?_

Vitani trotted over and lightly petted her grieving mother's forehead. "I don't understand, Mother... Why is Kovu with the pridelanders? Isn't he in danger?"

"Simba and his lionesses found him and carried him away," Zira reiterated from before. She raised her head and scratched at the ground with her long claws. "Oh, my poor boy!"

Vitani lowered her eyes. "You mean... he's really never coming back? Isn't he in terrible danger? I still don't-"

Nuka snorted from the shadows. "Puh, good riddance to that little furball!"

Zira noticed Nuka. She stood up, walked over to him, and shoved him to the ground. "You're lucky Simba didn't kill him on the spot! This is your fault, Nuka!" She raised her paw to strike at him again, but stopped herself. "You're not worth the air you breathe! I can't believe I gave birth to a son like you! I can't believe Scar's blood runs in your veins. He knew you were worthless the moment he saw you. You are nothing but dirt while Kovu is the sun!" She then walked back over to Vitani and fell to the ground again, covering her face with both her paws this time. "Kovu, my son! My son!"

"Mother, can't we go get him?"

_I want my brother to be safe- or at least back here- with us!_

"Oh, Vitani, I wish we could, but Kovu went willingly with Simba. This is Kovu's plan."

Vitani started. "What? Mother? Why? W-what do you mean it was Kovu's plan? I thought you said Simba fou-"

"I could see the gears moving in Kovu's head while I was hiding in the grass after I found them and I was too late. I was frightened, but he was brave and didn't run home. Why else wouldn't he run home? It was simply out of my claws when Simba took Kovu. Simba must have pitied Kovu when he asked Kovu to come with him. I couldn't kill Simba myself- his loyal lionesses were there to protect him. Kovu's earning Simba's trust- that is what he's doing- and when he's ready, he'll strike for us when Simba least expects it. He's such a smart boy, outwitting Simba. That fool king's pity will be his undoing. His heart is weak."

_Pity? Trust? What? Simba hates us. To him, we're the scum of the savannah, just like he is. Why would he care at all about Kovu?_

"But, Mother, I thought you said Simba was a cub killer."

Zira gathered Vitani up into her paws. "Are you doubting Kovu and his plan? Hmmm?"

"No, Mother!" She knew better than to hesitate with a response like that. She even looked around for Nuka, but he had made himself scarce.

"Kovu knows his true family, Vitani. He knows his plan in life. Kovu is the Chosen One," Zira continued, "and his destiny runs in his blood. The Pride Lands will be his and mine and yours again, and our sacrifice here will make us stronger."

_I wonder why Simba didn't kill Kovu. If I were Simba, I would have._

When Zira tipped up Vitani's chin and searched her small face, she blurted, "Mother, you're right. How could I doubt Kovu?"

Zira nodded and licked her daughter's cheek. "You know I'm always right, Vitani. You trust Mummy." She squeezed Vitani harder.

Vitani smiled when her mother licked her cheek again, but the uncertainty still lingered in the back of her mind.

_I sure hope you can deliver then, Kovu. We're all counting on you. You are the Chosen One... Just stay safe... Oh, Great Kings, keep him safe..._

* * *

_Why'd Mother let Simba take me? Why'd she push me towards him? He could've killed me! Doesn't she love me anymore? Did I disappoint her by running off? Am I being punished? Why'd she risk my life? What's gonna happen to me? Are they going to kill me at Pride Rock? Is that what's gonna happen?_

Kovu was furious with his mother and in shock. The way she hadn't given a single thought about pushing him towards Simba when the king had demanded a payment confused Kovu. He didn't understand how someone as cautious and leery as his mother could give him to the enemy like that. He'd expected her to show up, stand between him and Simba, and kill the king- if anything. By the time his enemies brought him to the heart of the Pride Lands- Pride Rock- he thought he was going to die of fear.

"Simba?" the lioness who was watching Kovu asked when the king moved off to the side of the path and started to let the lionesses pass.

The big lion, with his heir's scruff in his mouth, cleared his throat and gestured with a nod that they should continue on to Pride Rock. Kovu saw the anxiety in Kiara's eyes. He knew immediately that Simba was going to punish his daughter for straying from home.

_He's going to punish her… like Mother is gonna punish Nuka for letting me go off on my own… I wish I hadn't gone off by myself… I wish she had just taken me home..._

"Come along, Kovu… It's okay." The pale-furred lioness nudged Kovu forward.

_Why am I here? Why did Simba take me instead of killing me? This isn't my home now, is it?_

Kovu looked up and gaped at the rocky behemoth before him. He had heard stories from Vitani that Pride Rock dwarfed everything for miles in every direction, but he hadn't believed her.

_Does Vitani know yet? Will she miss me? Will she want to come and get me?_

"It's big, isn't it?"

Kovu looked up. All the other lionesses had continued walking. The light-furred lioness who had spoken to him was smiling slightly at him. All he could do was nod.

"Do you know who I am, Kovu?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"I'm Nala. Kiara's mother."

_That must mean you're Simba's queen…_

His mother had told him that Nala was responsible, ultimately, for Scar's murder. As a young lioness, Nala had been displeased by Scar when he had wanted her and had left to find a 'better mate', and by a miracle she'd found Simba and had brought him home to the Pride Lands. Simba had run away from home as a young lion, forfeiting the throne, but had returned and demanded that his uncle step down or die. His mother had scorned Nala for rejecting Scar.

Nala's smile widened, enough that it began to show in her blue-toned eyes.

"You'll be fine here, Kovu. I think you'll like it. Here you'll be safe." She nudged him again. "C'mon. Let's go rest at Pride Rock."

There were more lionesses there, and they all looked up when Nala entered the cave with Kovu at her side. The lionesses who had been with Simba had spread out to create a flow of information reporting what had happened that day. At that point, an old, brown-furred lioness came up to Nala, followed by the meerkat and warthog Kovu had seen earlier.

_Mother laughed when she said Simba was raised by a meerkat and a warthog. It probably doesn't make him much of a lion then, I guess._

"I'm so glad you found Kiara." The old lioness crinkled and arched her brows anxiously. "I wish I could've helped-"

"No, no, it's okay, Sarabi. You need your rest."

"Did Simba stay behind with Kiara?"

Nala nodded. "He's talking with her." She then added, "We ran into Zira today when we were looking for Kiara- nothing bad happened... but, long story short, Kovu will be living with us from now on."

The meerkat was frowning hard at Kovu. "So why did Simba take in Zira's kid?" He crossed his thin, furry arms. "He's- y'know- one of _those_ Outsiders. Right?"

Sarabi crouched down carefully and looked at Kovu. "I'm sure Simba has his reasons, Timon."

Without knowing it, Kovu shrunk back and hid behind Nala's leg. He remembered hearing the old lioness's name from his mother- Sarabi had been Mufasa's queen. His mother had told him how Sarabi had hated Scar and had conspired to kill him.

"You're safe here, Kovu. Don't be afraid."

The way the old lioness smiled surprised Kovu- not in the way that his own mother smiled at him, but much more softly.

"Oooh, he's a nervous little guy, isn't he?" the warthog crooned. "He's really going to live here with us?"

Nala nodded. "Yes, Pumbaa."

"Well, maybe this one won't run off…" Timon muttered with a snort.

_Could I just run away? Could I get away? Would they let me go if I asked? Should I ask? Did Mother want me to come here for a reason? Why? Why? Maybe Mother just doesn't want me…_

"Grandma Sarabi!"

Nala turned when Simba returned with his daughter. Kovu was stunned that father and daughter were both smiling, and Kiara didn't have a scratch or bump on her. Kiara ran over to Sarabi, who nuzzled the cub.

"How are you, little mischief-maker?"

Kiara giggled. "I'm just fine, Grandma."

Sarabi chuckled. "You're your father's daughter…"

"I'm just glad she has her actual parents to look after her," Timon remarked. He gave an exaggerated shiver. "Wouldn't want to raise another cub again."

"But, Timon, we've got _two_ cubs to look after now," Pumbaa remarked, which made the meerkat groan.

Kiara glanced nervously over at Kovu but she quickly looked away. Kovu continued to watch her fidget under his gaze.

_Did I really scare you earlier, little pridelander?_

"We should let your parents talk privately for a moment," Sarabi told Kiara, smiling at Simba and Nala. The old lioness started to walk away. "You can tell me about your day."

Kiara leaped after her. "Okay! I found this cool butterfly today. You shoulda seen it!"

The pair walked off to the back of the den, leaving Kovu with Simba and Nala, who asked her king quietly, "Everything all right?"

Simba nodded. "I'm just glad she's safe. Who knows what could've happened if we hadn't gotten there in-" Simba then noticed Kovu and broke off into awkward silence.

Kovu looked down. Again, a shudder of fear came over him- reminding him that he was in the heart of his enemy's land, all after seeing them talk so casually to one another. He wanted to run and hide, but there was nowhere to go.

"I'd have to guess that Kovu is hungry," Nala remarked. "Are you hungry?"

Kovu looked up briefly. "I-I-I-um..." he stammered hoarsely. "Er, yeah..." He looked down again.

_I haven't eaten anything for… more than two days now. And I'm still thirsty._

"I'll go find him something," Simba said. He quickly turned and walked out of the cave.

_"… Who knows what could've happened if we hadn't gotten there in-"_

Kovu looked down. What did that mean? Did Simba think he would've harmed Kiara? He'd been taught to hate Simba and his family... but Kiara was just a cub... a girl cub… She'd been easy to intimidate, but harming her hadn't even crossed his mind. Was Simba worried about what would've happened if his _mother_ had found them first? He was almost sure that his mother would have harmed Kiara, but he wasn't sure why Simba had just asked him for his name.

_Here I am, having been given to Simba by my own mother... and Simba's even getting me food? Am I dreaming? Maybe that's what this is- one horrible, flip-flopped nightmare._

"He should be back soon, Kovu."

Kovu nodded and looked up as Nala smiled and stepped away from him. She went over to her daughter and Sarabi, while Kovu moved closer to the entrance of the cave and huddled against the cool, stone wall, facing out from the wall. It felt safer. The lionesses in the cave were lying down. He blinked and observed for a moment.

They groomed their neat chests and forelegs with all the leisure in the world that their life in the Pride Lands afforded them. Nala laid down and groomed her daughter, who had a wide, pleased smile on her muzzle.

His mother had told him to hate these lions.

But, so far, he hadn't found any real reason to hate them.

_They're kind of fat and slow and indifferent... but that's it. They haven't been cruel at all._

Then his thoughts turned, and the voice in his head sounded vaguely like his Mother's.

_Scar's dead because of them. Simba killed Scar. Remember that. I must be here for a reason._

He laid down and rested his chin on his crossed paws. He was exhausted. His heart hadn't stopped fluttering in his chest. He nearly jumped out of his skin when two big paws appeared.

Simba dropped a fat rodent in front of Kovu and took a step back. "There you go. Enjoy."

Kovu looked up. He wanted to speak, to ask all the questions that had coursed through his head-

_Why'd you take me from my mom? You're enemies. _We _are enemies. I don't understand. Why am I not dead...?_

-but he couldn't ask.

As it was, Simba looked away. The big lion opened his mouth, but closed it again. When he looked at Kovu again, he nodded.

"I hope you're happy here, Kovu," he said before turning and walking further into the darkening den. He walked to the center of the den where Nala and Kiara were waiting for him. All around, the lionesses appeared to be getting ready to sleep.

_They don't even sleep at the same time here._

While the pridelanders only had to walk out of their den for food, his pride had always done their best hunting under the veil of night.

Kovu turned to his food. The rodent's mouth was open and it gaped at him with its black, beady eyes. He sniffed it and took a bite and chewed.

_I hope I can be happy here... I might be here awhile._


	4. Learning

**(A/N: Thank you guys for the feedback, faves, and follows! On with the story! :D)**

* * *

Simba awakened the next morning, stood up, and stretched. He looked down and smiled at his sleeping mate and daughter, who were curled up together, keeping warm. It took seeing the small, huddled, dark-furred figure at the mouth of the den for Simba to remember what had happened the day before. Quietly, he walked to the mouth of the den and paused for a minute to watch Kovu as he slept, shivering and twitching in his sleep.

The cub's face was pinched.

_He's got to be scared out of his mind. I'm sure Zira did a good job polluting his mind, making him fear and hate me and my family._

Kovu had taken every bit of flesh from the dinner Simba had caught for him. The bones were licked clean.

_ The cub must be starving... he's one of the thinnest cubs I have ever seen._

Kovu's nose wrinkled, making his whiskers twitch.

When he saw this, a vague memory came back to Simba, and he realized that it was one of the things that Kopa would do before waking up from a nightmare.

Simba arched his brows and instinctively lifted a paw to wake Kovu before he quickly pulled back. The last thing he needed to do was scare Kovu further.

_Is there a way I can reach out of him? Let him know that it's going to be okay? Is he too far gone? Should I ask if he wants to go home- let him decide?_

He knew that finding the answers would be difficult

With a small sigh, Simba slipped by Kovu and walked down the side of Pride Rock to start his patrol, reminding himself to make a point to talk to Kovu later while he took a quick drink at the watering hole. The morning was colder than the one before, but it looked like the sun would quickly fix that. The dew on the grass collected on his golden fur. He headed back to where he had found Kovu and Zira. It didn't take long to find out how Kovu had crossed into the Pride Lands. He put his paws on the fallen tree and pushed. It was stuck there solid.

_I should have someone help me move that tree. If I had patrolled right up to the border I would have seen it and had it removed before all this had happened... but for now there isn't much I can do. Let's see if Zira and her lionesses did any other poaching._

He suspected he would find evidence of poaching in the days to come. The last poachings had happened two days before, and they seemed to go four or five days before they reoffended.

_But what could I really do if I caught them? They hunt at night for a reason- they're more concerned about food than attacking. Should I just turn my back and pretend they're not doing it? Or should I reinforce that what they're doing is wrong?_

Simba closed his eyes and sighed.

_What would Father do? He would challenge them and chase them off, wouldn't he? The Outsiders must think I'm weak or too nice because I've left them be, but I just have better things to do... and that doesn't include killing cubs._

Then a thought came to him.

_That must be why Zira gave Kovu to me. She knows I'm really not a cub killer. I told her so, and she lied to gain support from the other mothers. Maybe by not acting, I've proven to be harmless... which might be a problem._

Simba's jaw muscles tightened. And when he heard the sound of a twig snapping behind him, he spun around and growled. His heart raced in his chest.

"Who's there?"

* * *

_Kovu ran. He panted so hard that he choked on every gasp of air he sucked into his lungs. The dark field of green grass around him was thick and it slowed him down to a staggering crawl. The mad growls and furious panting of the monster pursuing him chased him through the grass._

_ "Mother! Mother!" Kovu cried. "Where are you? Help! Help me! Save me! He's gonna kill me!"_

_ The grass thickened and ensnared him, wrapping and twisting around his flailing limbs. He shrieked like a young zebra and frantically bit and tore at the vine-like blades of grass, which grew spines and started to ooze a black juice that gunked up his fur. Again, he cried out, but now his throat strangled his pleas._

_ He was bound to the earth._

_ The ground underneath him shuddered._

_ "Kovu! D'you think you can run? You can't hide from me! You're mine now!"_

_ Simba loomed tall over Kovu, who gaped up mutely at the king and his bloody face-which was so heavily stained with the blood of murdered cubs that his jaw dripped red. When Simba threw back his head and laughed at him, Kovu's own blood went cold._

_ How weak Kovu was compared to the big, menacing king. The grass shouted Kovu's deep terror, wrapping him up in a neat little package at Simba's paws. The thorny grass-vines tightened, piercing his skin._

_ And with that, Simba lunged forward._

Kovu jerked awake. His eyes flashed open and he sat up panting. He had the feeling that someone had been watching him, like his mother sometimes did, and for a moment he looked around the den, expecting to find her.

"Mother?"

When he saw the unfamiliar lionesses, sleeping and snoring peacefully, he deflated. One old pridelanders grunted and moaned as she rolled over in her sleep. They were all completely out, dumb to the world outside their fat, sleeping bodies. As he watched them, apathetic, he noticed that he and Kiara were the only cubs in the pride.

_The princess has it pretty great here... No competition. No fighting for food. All the lionesses and a father to spoil you._

The other cub slept at the center of the den curled against her mother's face. Simba, who had been resting with his family, was missing.

_I wonder where he went…_

Kovu stood up, stretched, and looked outside to the pale light of the dawn that would eventually bring the den back to life. He blinked.

_I could run home. Nobody would notice or probably even care. I could run and they wouldn't be able to stop me. I'd just disappear and go home._

He glanced at the pridelanders again. He was always up at first light, but he guessed they would sleep until the sun had fully risen. Kovu smirked and stepped lightly over the bones of his dinner.

_If I'm their prisoner, they did the worst job keeping me from leaving. This is as easy as-_

Kovu skidded to a horrified halt and crouched down when he saw Simba as he walked down the side of Pride Rock.

He cursed under his breath.

While he watched Simba, all Kovu could think of was how the pretender king had gone claw-to-tooth with Scar, had threatened the cubs of his mother and the other lionesses, had glowered at his mother with such hatred… and yet had gently pulled him away from his mother and had hunted his dinner.

Kovu shook his unclear head.

_I still can make it home… it just might be a little harder while Simba's walking around._

Kovu waited a few moments before he crept down the side of Pride Rock, placing his paws carefully on the stone. He watched Simba head out across the savannah.

Kovu blinked.

_What if I follow Simba? Just for a little while? Wouldn't Mother want that? I think she'd approve. I might learn something. When am I gonna get another opportunity like this?_

With his longer legs, Simba was quickly leaving Kovu behind. Without further hesitation, Kovu made it to the bottom of the rocks and stalked the king, conscious of the ground under his paws.

_I'm following Simba… maybe Nuka's training yesterday wasn't so silly after all._

All at once, homesickness hit him.

_I wonder what everyone thought when Mother told them about Simba? How I'm in the Pride Lands? I am their Chosen One. Was Vitani sad? Was Nuka-? No, probably not._

Kovu frowned.

_Why'd Mother give me to Simba? It doesn't make any sense… Is wish she would've told me her plan. Normally she does... Am I just payment for my mother's trespassing? She just _pushed_ me over to Simba._

Simba walked to the watering hole, which Vitani had told Kovu about, enviously describing how bright the water was. The clarity of the water made the river he'd crossed from the Outlands look even more disgusting. A few gazelle were drinking on the other side, but they didn't run away when they saw the king. As Kovu watched Simba drink, the cub licked his dry tongue over his whiskers. Between his ears, his head throbbed with a dull ache.

_I sure am thirsty…_

Kovu ducked down after Simba drank his fill and turned around. When the king didn't head back to the den, Kovu was surprised. Instead, Simba continued his walk. When he was far enough away, Kovu dashed up to the watering hole.

_Wait… are there any crocodiles here?_

Kovu, stopped on the bank, craned his neck, and eyed the water suspiciously. The water looked safe enough, and Simba hadn't even blinked before he'd lowered his head to drink.

_I don't even care… I'm so thirsty…_

The calm surface rippled under his tongue as he crouched down and lapped at the clear water. The water was cleaner and had a less bitter taste than the small, rank watering hole his family drank from. He couldn't help but think about how rain, when it came, fell on both the Outlands and the Pride Lands, filling both watering holes with hundreds of drops, and yet the water that Simba owned was better.

_I think just about everything here so far is better._

He closed his eyes. Water droplets collected on his whiskers as the void in his stomach filled with water. Satisfied, he opened his eyes again and swiped his whiskers clean. He lifted his head and looked around.

_Now, time to get back to stalking Simba._

Following Simba was fairly easy. His pawprints were huge and he walked like a lion with no fear and no need to hide- broken sticks, turned over rocks, obvious footsteps. Kovu followed the path, walking alongside the pawprints. It wasn't until he finally caught up with Simba that Kovu realized that Simba was headed for the border of the Outlands. He watched the pridelander through the grass.

_Why is he over here?_

The king was looking at the fallen tree. He even tested it out by putting his paws on it and pushing.

Kovu lowered his ears.

_Oh, no- is he going to move my tree? He must've figured out that I used it to get over here. How else will I get back over if he moves it? Do Mother and the lionesses have another way? They've got to have another way over. Could I find it?_

It didn't budge, but Simba continued to stare at it, seemingly thinking. Kovu leaned forward, the hairs along his spine standing on end. He took a small step forward without looking. When he felt and heard a twig snap under his paw pads, he cringed.

_Oh, no!_

Simba's ears went back and he turned around, growling. With narrowed eyes, he looked over to where Kovu was hiding in the grass.

"Who's there?"

Shaking, Kovu pressed his body into the ground.

_He's gonna kill me! Nobody else is here! He could kill me and nobody would know! He could lie and tell them I ran away- not that they'd even care. Why did I think I could follow him? I got cocky!_

Nose lifted to the air, Simba began to walk forward. The king headed straight for Kovu, who was too scared to run. Simba closed the space between them in ten steps. Kovu stared up in wide-eyed horror when Simba looked down and found him.

Kovu could only crouch there, shivering.

Simba stopped short and raised a brow, but the anger and suspicion left his face, which became a neutral-calm. He stared back at the cub before he asked quietly, "Were you following me, Kovu?" Simba looked around. "Did you follow by yourself?" The big lion looked down again. He hesitated before he asked, "Were you following me… or are you going back to the Outlands?"

"I… I-uh…er-"

The king blinked and shook his head slowly. There was a faint, stealthy, knowing expression on his muzzle that was a smile, but not quite a smile. It had only intensified when he said, "I can't stop you." After a moment, Simba stepped to the side, revealing a clear path to the fallen tree. He then started his walk again, following the border.

Kovu blinked.

_Is this a trick?_

There was a clear shot to the tree trunk- to the Outlands, to home. Simba's back was to him, and he was walking away leisurely.

_Why would he take me from my mother and then just let me go? Aren't I his prisoner or something?_

He stared at his enemy's back.

_Why did you take me? Why did you take me when Mother pushed me towards you?_

He stared at the fallen tree.

_Mother, why'd you give me to Simba…? Did you know he wouldn't kill me? Did you know he would give me food, treat me with the same kindness he treats his daughter…?_

Kovu didn't understand why his mother would tell him that Simba was dangerous if he really wasn't. Why she'd instilled a fear in him and the other cubs.

_Because Simba killed Scar. He took the throne from _me._ That's why- Mother wants me to hate him…_

A soft thud snapped Kovu from his thoughts. He instinctively crouched down and tensed and looked up to find that Simba was standing over him once more. A whiff of fresh blood then caught Kovu's attention, and he looked to where Simba had dropped a small gopher.

_He caught me more food?_

"I thought you might be hungry after seeing how you cleaned up your dinner."

_ And he's smiling? _Really_ smiling?_

His stomach betrayed him with a treacherous growl_, _and he looked down at the second meal Simba had given him.

_Who is this lion?_

* * *

Simba's smile widened when Kovu's stomach growled. The cub grimaced in embarrassment before looking longingly at the dead gopher.

"It's not going to hurt you," Simba said jokingly, but then he immediately regretted saying that when Kovu flinched.

_Maybe I made a mistake... bringing the son of my enemy here. I should have just let him cross back over into the Outlands. Zira taught her son to fear me- maybe that was why she pushed her son towards me? Maybe she thought I would show her son how much of a monster I am? But that wouldn't make sense either- I could have killed Kovu on the spot._ _Why would she risk the life of Scar's so-called "chosen one"? She must be playing me._

Maybe nothing Zira did made sense.

Kovu only stared at his food. Simba took a step back to give him some space.

_Is there any going back now? What would happen if Kovu went back to the Outlands? Would it be as if this never happened?_

Answering his own questions, Simba felt a shiver run through him as he recalled the foreboding words Zira had uttered before she had gone back to her decrepit lands.

_ "Of course, Simba, as you wish... But you're very wrong to think that this is over... We have barely begun…"_

"Why'd'you takeme fromMother?"

The quick question came out so fast that Simba barely registered it. And before Simba knew it, he asked back, "Why did your mother push you towards me?"

Kovu shrugged and shook his head. His eyebrows arched high. "I dunno." He glanced down and narrowed his eyes. "I wish I knew..."

Simba pursed his mouth.

_I wish I knew, too._

Kovu timidly sniffed at his meal.

_But maybe that doesn't matter,_ Simba asked himself. _I took Kovu for a reason._

Simba flicked the end of his tail.

_I just don't know what that exact reason is yet._

Kovu overcame his timidness and bit into the gopher. Simba listened to the soft growls and watched Kovu crouch over the food possessively. He tried hard to keep the pity out of his eyes, but he knew there was no possibility of hiding it all. When Simba spoke up after Kovu had almost stripped all the meat off the rodent's bones, the cub flinched.

"I'm finishing up my patrol if you want to keep following me." His voice tinged his words with awkward, assuming hope. "If not, I still will not stop you from going back to your mother. It's your choice to stay here, not your mother's."

Kovu chewed on his last bit of food while he sat up and turned his head to look thoughtfully at the fallen tree.

Simba turned around.

_Either he'll follow... or else I won't see him again until his Mother tells him to come back for Pride Rock._

He turned his ears back and listened anxiously. It was as if one path of time was being split in two possible futures. Only after the fallen tree was out of sight did he allow himself a glance back.

A small, almost triumphant smile crossed Simba's face when he saw that Kovu was following him- striding half-way confidently in his paw tracks out of the grass. Simba could never guess exactly why Kovu had chosen not to go home to Zira, but he felt like he'd won a small victory over her. Her son would live in his den, but he would also live under his guidance, and at least for the moment the thin cub had overcome some of his fear for his mother's enemy.

But now, the big question was...

_Who is Kovu?_


	5. Hosting

When one pridelander lioness leaped onto the hollering zebra's back and bit its neck, another darted forward and latched her jaws onto its throat. Dust was kicked up into the air, clouding the scene, as five other lionesses moved in, and in a second the zebra was on the ground. Kovu perked his ears, eagerly watching the hunt from a distance, but he was distracted when a paw batted at the tip of his tail.

"Gotcha!"

Kovu whipped his tail away from the other cub and scowled. "What're you doing?"

The wide grin on Kiara's face dropped slightly. "Playing," she said, tilting her head to the side. "You looked bored, so I-"

"Leave my tail alone. I'm not bored. I'm watching them hunt."

_Though, I wish Simba had taken me on patrol this morning instead. He left before it was even light out. Maybe he got bored with me._..

"Well, you just looked bored, so-"

"Just because I'm not talking or moving doesn't mean I'm bored, princess. I'm watching the hunt." Rolling his eyes, Kovu returned his attention to the hunting lionesses. He and Kiara were lying in the grass while Nala and her lionesses hunted. Sarabi and the other half of the pride were resting at Pride Rock. Kovu thought Timon and Pumbaa were supposed to be babysitting them, but the pair had wandered off to find their own food. In the eight or so days that Kovu had been in the Pride Lands, this was the first time they'd brought him and Kiara on a hunt. This was also the first time he'd ever seen a hunt.

_I had to see this with my own eyes… Lionesses hunting in broad daylight instead of hiding under the cover of darkness? They might look fat, but they sure can move. I wonder if Mother and the other lionesses can move even faster?_

When Simba had given him the chance to make his own decision to stay in the Pride Lands or go home to the Outlands, Kovu had chosen to stay. Simba had not asked him why he had stayed- yet- but Kovu knew his answer to the king was going to have to be a lie.

_I can't tell him I wanted to stay so I could watch him. I can't tell him that I wanted to stay because I think that's what Mother wants. I can't tell him I was afraid to go home and tell Mother I wanted to come home. And I definitely cannot tell Simba that Mother wants me to kill him one day and take the throne._

When he heard a chattering voice and felt someone touch his tail again, Kovu blinked out of his daze and turned his head lazily. "Say something, princess?"

She glanced away, but then returned his stare. "Well, you're just sitting there, so I asked if you wanna play now that the hunt's over, but then you were just staring, so I asked if you've watched _your_ mom hunt, and you didn't say anything..."

"Oh." Kovu shook his head to clear it. "No, I never watched her _hunt _hunt."

"Is it because they hunt in the Pride Lands?"

Kovu's face heated up. "No, that's not it," he snapped. "That's not why."

Kiara lowered her ears and frowned. "Well, Daddy says they hunt here all the time. They leave evidence, he says. But… your pride needs food… and I think that's why he leaves them alone."

"Maybe he's afraid of us," Kovu spat before he could stop himself.

Kiara glared back at him. "Hey, he is not _afraid_, Kovu. He's being _nice._ That's not the same thing. It's good to be nice."

"You're not _tough_ if you're nice. _Nice_ gets you killed," Kovu retorted, repeating something his mother had said time and time again. "And pridelanders _aren't_ tough."

Ears lowered, Kiara looked at her paws. Kovu was about to turn his head when she looked back up and raised her ears. "You're saying I'm not tough?"

Kovu rolled his eyes. "Well, obvious-"

Kiara leaped forward and pushed his shoulder, enough to unbalance him, but not enough to knock him to the ground. After leaping away, she leaped forward again and repeated the move.

Kovu frowned. When Kiara tapped his shoulder the third time, he swatted her paw away. "What're you doing?"

Kiara, slightly winded, growled at him. She leaped backwards again and crouched down, tail high in the air.

"You look ridiculous. Stoppit."

"If _you're_ so tough, prove it, Kovu!"

Kovu pursed his mouth. This was the first time Kiara had really interacted with him, after keeping her distance, and so far she was more annoying than anything. But, he watched her weave back and forth, growling at him, like she'd done the day they'd met. He then narrowed his eyes, lowered his head, and crouched down.

"Fine, I'll prove it."

When he stood up and started to chase her, Kiara squealed. Her frown broke out into another huge grin as she exclaimed, "Can't catch me!"

_Oh, yes I can!_

At first, she was fast on her toes, dodging and jumping just out of his reach, but she quickly exhausted herself.

_She's not used to running like me._

Finally, Kovu jumped on Kiara, who squealed again. "Ha-ha!" He bit her ear. "Gachew!" He pinned her down with the weight of his larger body.

She squealed again, but this time it sounded different. "Owe, hey! Hey! Stop! Ouch! Kovu! You're playing too rough!"

"Rrrrr!" Kovu shook his head back and forth, teeth still clamped on her ear. "Rrrrr!"

Weakly, the pridelander cub swatted at him. "Stop, Kovu! Owe! It was just a game!"

_Vitani would've already thrown me off. This is the easiest fight I've ever won._

"Kovu!"

"Mom!"

Kovu froze and looked up at Nala, who was standing over them, frowning.

"Let her ear go. Now, Kovu," Nala said.

Kovu opened his mouth, and Kiara wriggled out from under him. The girl cub slunk behind her mother's foreleg.

"I was only trying to get him to play with me," Kiara whimpered. Tears stood in her wide eyes. Teeth marks marred the flesh of her ear. "He played too rough, Mom." A big, fat tear then ran down her cheek.

"You're not hurt, faker," Kovu scoffed. "My sister's more tough than you."

Nala looked down her nose at Kovu. "Kovu, you might have played like that in the Outlands, but that's not how we play here."

"But-"

"Kovu, we don't hurt one another here. We try to get along and play nice with others. That's what keeps the peace."

_Play nice? Get along? Keep the peace?_

Kiara hid her face in her mother's leg, and Nala raised an eyebrow and stared at him expectantly.

"While you're here, Kovu, you need to play by our rules," the queen said after Kovu had continued to just sit there.

When she said this, what Kovu had done finally dawned on him.

_Oh no! I've done it now- Simba's going to be so mad at me for hurting his precious princess! And Nala's gonna hit me! Then Simba will finish me off! What do I do? What do I do? Beg! Yes, beg! Say that you're sorry! Say you didn't mean it! It's all you can do- beg and take the punishment!_

His eyes widened. "I-I-I'm s-sorry! So sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"Kov-"

"I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"

"Kovu." Nala raised a paw and took a step forward.

Kovu ducked his head, waiting for his punishment. He wrapped his paws around his head and closed his eyes.

_Here it comes! Maybe she won't be as tough as Mother._

"It's... It's okay, Kovu. How could you know how we play?"

Kovu slowly opened his eyes and looked up through his paws. When Nala lifted a paw and touched him, he flinched, but realized that she was only resting a paw on his head. He looked up at her, puzzled.

"That's just how you play in the Outlands. You didn't mean to hurt Kiara, right?"

There was no anger on her face, no self-satisfaction in her soft blue eyes, but he knew what he did see.

_Pity... She pities me..._

The pity was more painful than any beating Nala could've given him. He realized that, although they'd taken him in, he was no more a pridelander than he was an Outsider now.

"You didn't mean to hurt Kiara, right?" Nala repeated.

Guilt gathered in the pit of his gut, something he'd rarely ever felt before- it was almost like a foreign invader, unlike humiliation, pain, or embarrassment, which were almost daily visitors in the Outlands.

He shook his head no for Nala.

Then the guilt changed and deepened.

_Would Mother have wanted me to hurt the princess on purpose? Kiara challenged me, and she got what she wanted, but is that really why I hurt her? Did I hurt her because she's a pridelander, or did I hurt her because she's smaller than me? Why should I even care?_

"Okay, Kovu. Now, are you two hungry?" Nala asked, snapping him from his thoughts. "We brought down a zebra."

"I'm starving!" Kiara cried, looking happy again, though her eyes were still watery. Her mother gave her ear a quick grooming.

Kovu sat up at the mention of food. He was still in a daze, but Kiara's remark made him angry.

_She's never been starved in her life! None of her bones are sticking out! She's chubby at the very least!_

"Kovu, aren't you coming?"

Nala had called him, and he looked up. She was standing by herself and Kiara was out of sight, but he could hear the other cub jabbering excitedly.

He nodded and stood up. "Coming."

Once he realized he was holding it, he heaved a heavy breath.

_I'll need to do a better job of understanding these pridelanders if I have any hope of fitting in at all... whether I do it for Mother or not. I just wish I knew better why I am here._

* * *

The tree between the Outlands and the Pride Lands fell into the water with a loud crash. Simba heard the growls and hisses of the river crocodiles as they angrily thrashed in the river.

"Is that all, my king?" the bull elephant asked Simba in his bellowing voice. The bull and his young son shook out their trunks and stamped their feet as they moved away from the ledge overlooking the rank river and the Outlands.

Simba smiled and dipped his head. "No, that's all I needed. Thank you, I appreciate the help. I'm not exactly built to move trees like you."

The bull elephant chuckled. "I wouldn't even think you were built to climb one."

Simba grinned harder. "Oh, you'd be surprised... I'd place a bet if I was younger."

"Yep, age has a way of creeping up on you," the bull elephant said, turning to his son. "You don't begin to miss your youth until you notice it's gone to someone else."

"Yes." Simba continued to grin, but with a little less enthusiasm. Once he had thanked the elephants again and they had turned their backs to him, his smile faded into a miserable grimace.

_"When I'm king, I'm going to be the best king… just like you, Dad, and Grandpa Mufasa, and Great-Grandpa Ahadi, and Great-_Great_-Grandpa Mohatu, too!_"

_"Is that so?" Simba had chuckled at his eager son, who was gazing out wonder-eyed at the Pride Lands. It was the first time the king had shown his son what he would inherit._

_ "You bet! I'm going to be the strongest, the smartest, and the bravest, and I'll have the loudest roar and I'll be the best wrestler. And I'll have that creepy trick that Mom has- you know, the one where she can see and hear everything."_

_ "That just might be because she can see everything from Pride Rock and because she's your mother and knows she has to keep you out of trouble. She knows what cubs can get into."_

_ "That's what she said, too… Dad, how cool is it that we can see _everything_ from way up here? And it's all gonna be mine, right?"_

"Right…" Simba whispered to himself and sighed.

He would've given anything to have just one more day with Kopa, whose life should've been far longer. What did ease Simba's pain at least was having two cubs around, but sometimes seeing Kiara, and now Kovu, only made the place in his heart reserved for Kopa ache more with its phantom pain. That morning, he'd left Kovu at Pride Rock so he could concentrate on having the tree removed, but he wondered that if maybe the cub had come with him, the elephant's words would have stung less.

_Now enough of that. Kopa isn't here anymore. You're not going to get him back, but you'll always have the memories. The elephant must not have realized what he'd said. That's all._

He rapidly blinked to clear his pricking eyes as he turned away from the border, too tired to patrol the rest of the Pride Lands. One day wouldn't make a difference-the Outsiders were going to do what they wanted when they wanted, and the last thing he wanted to see were the leftovers of a poached kill. He took in a deep breath and pushed it out through his nose. Nala had said she was going to lead a hunt later in the day. Though Simba felt more ill than hungry, he thought he'd go and look for the lionesses and maybe watch them hunt.

_They always put on a good show, especially Nala… Maybe I should talk to her later… if not about Kopa, definitely about Kovu…_

Kovu had been in the Pride Lands for eight days. Simba had hoped that the morning patrols would help Kovu transition better into his pride, but the cub had yet to really break out of his wide-eyed daze.

_Just give him time. It will be slow, but he'll get used to us. He'll get used to the pride and be like everyone else…_

At least once a day, to Simba's shame, he'd found it difficult to give the green-eyed cub a straight look in the face. Even if Zira had claimed that Scar wasn't the cub's father, it was clear to Simba that he was somewhat reminded of Scar by the cub, as were many of the older lionesses in the pride. Nala and Sarabi had mentioned that some of the lionesses were prone to scowling at the cub, and Simba had seen it once or twice himself. But, what gave Simba relief was that Kovu was no longer with Zira.

_I gave Kovu the choice to stay, but is there even a place for him here?_

Instinctively, while he was absorbed in his thoughts, Simba followed the roars of his lionesses, and eventually he found them gathered around a kill. Squinting, Simba noticed one little honey and another brown furred lump bellied up to the zebra.

_At least Kovu's getting a full meal today. Let's just hope he doesn't eat so much it makes him sick, like the day I brought him two hares. Everything he eats he picks clean, and I'm half-sure he's eating some of the bones._

Simba grimaced while he walked closer, but he raised an eyebrow when he noticed something was happening between one of the old lionesses and Kovu. Simba blinked in surprise when the older lioness shoved Kovu, who fell backwards, paws in the air.

"Mind your manners! You almost bit my face!"

"Watch it then if you don't wannit taken it off!"

Simba quickened his pace.

_There's no excuse to be rude to a cub._

The other lionesses were too busy eating, and Nala had her back turned while she spoke to Zazu. The queen turned around when she heard the lioness, however.

When Kovu got up and took a step forward, the lioness yowled, "Outsider, wait your turn. You're not gonna starve!"

And that was it.

Dark-eyed, Kovu lunged at the full-grown lioness. He bit her foreleg before dodging away.

"Ouch! He bit me! Oh, the little rogue bit me!"

"You shoved me, stupid pridelander!"

"Kovu, stop!" Simba stormed up, just as Nala arrived at the scene, too. "Stop!"

The cub gaped up at Simba first. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" he cried. "I didn't mean it!"

"You better be sorry!" Spat the bitten lioness, who was known for being impatient. She groomed her foreleg. The skin had been broken. "Despicable behavior, although I am not in the least surprised!"

Ears back, Kovu scowled, though he glanced up at Nala guiltily.

So far, this was the most animated Kovu had acted, and Simba was impressed that the cub could stand up for himself, but his aggressive behavior wouldn't stand.

_This must stop before it becomes a bigger problem._

Simba shook his head and moved between the lioness and Kovu. "You can't bite other lions."

"But she pushed me and called me an Outsider," Kovu retorted fearlessly.

"I saw it, too," Kiara piped up. She stuck her tongue out at the old lioness.

The old lioness snorted in offense and rolled her eyes. "Well! I see where I rank."

Simba exchanged a worried look with Nala, who pursed her mouth.

Nala's tone and eyes were sympathetic. "We apologize for _both_ Kovu _and_ our daughter's behavior," she said, looking at Kovu and Kiara. "You two are sorry, yes?"

Kiara lowered her ears and nodded. "Yes."

Kovu continued to glare at the lioness, but after Simba tapped him on his back, the cub reverted back to his small self. He ducked his head, flinched, and muttered, "Sorry."

Apologies made, Nala's eyes went from sympathetic to sharp as she said to the lionesses, "Next time, think twice about calling Kovu names and pushing him out of the way. He has just as every right to eat as you do."

_Maybe more so…_ Simba thought, but he made sure he kept that to himself, and he felt guilty for even thinking such a thing about a lioness who had starved during Scar's reign.

The lioness grumbled an apology of her own before she turned around and joined the lionesses gathered a few lengths away from the scene, leaving Simba and Nala with the two cubs.

"Why'd I haveta apologize to _her?_" Kovu spoke up. "She pushed me first."

"We know," Nala remarked, "but you can't act like that here. Remember what I told you about playing nice with others today?"

Kovu looked down at his paws. Nobody said a word. Then, something darkened the cub's green eyes. He looked around and glared back at the aghast faces of the huddled lionesses gawking at him. "I don't even know why I'm here!" Kovu exclaimed fiercely before he turned and ran away.

Simba stood there, bewildered.

_What did we say wrong? And was he already in trouble today?_

"Maybe I should go talk to him some more..." Nala said. She then explained. "Earlier, he was roughhousing with Kiara."

"He pushed me down and bit my ear," their daughter added. She paused before asking, "Is he gonna be okay?"

Simba frowned nervously. When Nala started to walk after Kovu, he said, "I want to talk to him. It sounds like you need a break."

Nala sighed, and then looked down at Kiara. She nodded. "I'll stay and give our daughter a talk of my own about respecting our elders."

"Uh-oh…" Simba heard Kiara murmur as he walked away.

Kovu hadn't run very far, and Simba assumed it was because the cub had little idea of where to really go. Kovu had managed to climb up into the low branches of a tree and scratch up its trunk.

Simba took a breath.

_Here goes nothing… Let's hope those days on patrol helped at least a little._

When Simba walked up to the tree and sat down, the cub started to climb higher. "I said I was sorry. I won't hurt anyone again. I didn't mean it, really. Just leave me alone."

It was encouraging to see that Kovu had what seemed to be some resemblance of a conscious.

_But what's on the outside doesn't always reflect what's on the inside. He could just be saying what he thinks we want to hear..._

Simba collected himself for a moment before he started. "Kovu, you can't do the same things that you used to do when you lived with the Outsiders. Like what Nala said. What you did was..." He struggled to find a solid word the cub could understand. "What you did was bad."

Kovu frowned and his eyes started to harden again.

"You _aren't_ going to starve here," Simba continued. "I won't let that happen, but you can't react to the other lionesses like you did. You need to treat others here with respect."

Quietly, Kovu replied, "They don't like me, so why should I like them? How can I fit in? I don't fit in. I _am _an outsider."

"That doesn't mean that trouble is the answer," Simba replied. "You have to get along with everyone."

"I know, but why should I care if I don't even belong here? They don't like me."

"Kov-"

"…_I don't even know why I'm here…! Why should I like them? How can I fit in…? I don't fit in… I don't even belong here… They don't like me."_

Simba arched his brows. Kovu's words really sunk in, when all he'd heard before was an argument.

_Why _should_ he like us if he doesn't believe there's any hope that we _might_ like him... or grow to like him eventually?_

The king was uncertain… how could he handle this? What would his own father do in his place. How many lectures had he heard? How many bits of wisdom had his father passed down to him until their time was over? And how many times had his father expected more out of him?

_And what would Mom want me to do, too?_

Simba looked up at the sky before an idea struck him. "Hey, what if I showed you something tonight? Something _my_ father showed me? Hmm?" Simba offered the cub. "I think you could use a chance to get out of Pride Rock, get more familiar with the Pride Lands."

Kovu raised an eyebrow. "What?" He glanced down for a moment. "Aren't I in trouble? Won't you punish me, or something, for being bad? This sounds like... a… a..."

"...Reward?"

"Yeah. A reward."

Simba wasn't sure what the cub wanted to hear. "What do you mean, Kovu?" he asked curiously. "Why are you so surprised?"

"Well," Kovu began, "when me and my sister did something our mother didn't like, she'd thump us or make us do these challenges… once she told me to climb the outside of our den. It was very high and…"

Once Simba sensed that the cub had trailed off in thought, he gently tapped Kovu's shoulder with his paw to get his attention. Kovu looked up, sadness in his eyes.

"Why don't you climb down from that tree?" Simba suggested, gesturing with his nose.

The cub shifted his weight and started to climb down. "Why're you and Nala being… nice… to me? You should hate me."

Simba blinked. "Hate you?"

_While I'm not totally surprised he'd say something like that, it's strange when it's coming from someone so small and young._

"You hate my Mother, right?" Kovu skillfully clambered down the trunk of the tree and plopped onto the ground.

"Well, I-"

"Mother hates you and your family, and you know it..." the cub blurted. He squinted up at the full-grown lion. "That's why your family doesn't like me, right?"

Simba pursed his mouth for a moment. "Sometimes..." he began, "we feel a certain way about others... because we don't understand them. There are some things that your mother doesn't understand about me."

"But you killed Scar... What's there to understand?" The cub blinked, and Simba sensed that his small face was growing harder, more suspicious, bolder, challenging.

_What do I tell him? Who knows what horrors his mother has filled his head with? He's starting to think... but everything about his world has changed in such a short amount of time._

"It's true that Scar... died... when we fought for Pride Rock," Simba said. "But... uh…"

The words weren't coming, and Kovu was staring at him in anticipation. He even raised one small eyebrow.

Simba sighed. "Why don't we save this conversation for later?"

"O-kay..." Kovu looked down, clearly thinking. He then looked up. "So, you're not gonna punish me?"

Simba shook his head. "As long as you're really sorry, no."

"I... Yeah, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay," Simba assured him, though he could not tell if the cub was truly sorry. "Zira shouldn't have treated you like that. You do belong to my pride now."

Kovu looked up and blinked. After a moment, a slight smile formed on his muzzle.

Simba gestured with a jerk of his head. "Now why don't we go back and see if there's any food left? If not, I'll catch us both something."

Kovu stood up, tilting his head to the side. "Okay..."

The pair made their way back to where the lionesses had been eating. As Simba walked along, he glanced once at Kovu, and he couldn't help but wonder...

_What terrible things did Zira put her son through...? And has it all been out of her hatred for me? Was she training Kovu to help murder me even?_

Simba shivered.

Maybe he had a chance now. Maybe he'd be okay in the end.


	6. Stars

**_(A/N: Back with another update! I added this chapter to the original, completed draft, and I'm so glad I did. The next chapter is going to be an addition as well, so an update might be slower. I also heard a suggestion from one of you and added that in, and it worked out super nicely, so thank you! Overall, the feedback, watches, and faves for this story have been overwhelming, and it brings a huge smile to my face. It means a lot. :)_  
**

**_This is also the last chapter in part one. Enjoy!)_**

"Daddy's gonna show you the stars tonight," Kiara said with a grin. "I wish I were going, too. We do it all the time. Did you know that all the Great Kings are up there? In the stars?"

"Great Kings in the stars?" Kovu tilted his head to the side and shrugged. "Like Scar?"

The princess screwed up her mouth in thought and shrugged. "I dunno," she mused, then looked away. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. Her expression changed from excitement to embarrassment before Kovu looked away, feeling irritated.

_Scar was no great king to these lions… Just to the Outsiders._

Kovu was waiting for Simba to wake up from his nap in the den, and Kiara was sitting with him just outside. Kovu couldn't believe she was even talking to him again, so soon after he'd made her cry. Kovu looked up at the darkening sky, then out to the Pride Lands. The setting sun hit the land. The green grass, the thick dashes of brown, white, and black that represented the herds, the tiny dots of trees, and the snaking river glistened and shone under the glow of the evening sun.

The Outlands didn't shine like that. All that ever seemed to be there were dust and death.

"D'you miss your family?"

Kovu frowned at the other cub. "Why d'you care?"

Kiara gave him a half-smile. "W… Well, you look kind of sad. Like my dad does..." she said, "when he misses Kopa."

Kovu blinked. "Kopa? Who's that?"

"He was my brother. He died when he was little, before I was born. I think he was a little older than you."

His mother had never mentioned another cub named Kopa, let alone a dead prince.

"My dad misses him a lot- I mean, he hasn't told me or Mom," Kiara continued, "but he looks sad when someone mentions Kopa or something reminds him of my brother. You kind of looked like him just now."

"Your... brother...?"

"No, Daddy."

"Oh." Kovu looked down at his paws.

"So, do you miss your family?"

He sighed. "Well... yeah... I guess I do miss them." Admitting it to Kiara seemed like a simple enough request, but what surprised him was when Kiara put her paw over his foreleg.

"I'm glad you came here. Now I've got someone to play with!"

Kovu raised a brow. "But I hurt you. Aren't you _scared_ of me?"

After a second, she shook her head. "Nope, you're okay. It's your _mom_ I'm scared of more!" She then giggled and rolled over, gnashing her jaws. "She's got those big teeth and crazy eyes!"

Kovu wriggled in his skin a little. How could Kiara talk about her enemy that way, an enemy she feared, and then just giggle about it? Was she too young to understand? He wondered if she could laugh because his mother was miles away, while he was stuck in the land of his enemy, depending on them for safety and food. He was not laughing, and he was still half-afraid for his life.

_Not to mention how confused I am about what to do to… I have everything I could ever want here… and in time, the throne just might be mine… Kiara will need someone to rule with, won't she? A king for the Queen of Pride Rock? Could I get what my family wants without killing Simba? But just where does that leave my family? They're suffering right now in the Outlands. Won't I owe my family something? Could I welcome them back? And what if Simba and Nala decide to have another cub, another son this time? Then everything would be ruined._

"Hey, did that grumpy lioness give you that?"

Kovu blinked and looked to where Kiara was poking his shoulder with a retracted claw. He squirmed away when he saw that she was poking a healing scar that he had gotten a day before he'd come to the Pride Lands.

His cheeks flushed hot.

"Erm- yeah."

"You gotta tell my dad. Like, I know Mom says we gotta respect our elders," Kiara said, rolling her eyes, "but she was a meany." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Like, a big, fat meany. Like a rhino."

Self-consciously, Kovu ran his tongue over the scabbed wound. "I'm fine," Kovu grumbled, trying to block out his mother's last punishment. Kovu, as the Chosen One, often got a larger share at mealtime. He'd given Vitani some of his food. Both Vitani and Kovu had gotten her claws when their mother had found out.

_"Kings don't share, and subjects don't beg! Greedy and lazy! Vitani, you could've gotten food for yourself! Disgusting! Kovu, she took advantage of you. Understand that kindness leaves you with no food! Kindness means starvation!_

"It's nothing," Kovu told the other cub. "It didn't really hurt."

More giggles. "Because you're so _tough_ and all?" Kiara rolled onto her side and lightly kicked his hip with her hind paws. "Are you the toughest?"

"Maybe." Kovu gave a half-hearted smirk. "Do you just play _all_ the time?"

"Mmm-hmm!" She drew in her legs and giggled when he swatted at them.

_Wish I'd just been allowed to play... though I suppose I could now..._

"Ready to go?"

"Daddy!"

Simba stood next to Kovu, smiling down at him and his daughter.

"Daddy, I don't think Kovu's ever starwatched!" The princess beamed. "Remember to tell him about the baby rabbit! The one with the fluffy tail?"

Simba smiled. "All right, I'll remember." He shifted his focus to Kovu. "Ready, Kovu?"

Kovu nodded and stood up.

"Have fun!" Kiara exclaimed. She turned around and went back into the den.

Kovu did his best to smile, though there was a lump of nervousness in his gut. He followed Simba out into the savannah, in silence, like they'd done on the mornings he had been welcome on patrol. The cool, grass-scented air hit his fur and he shivered.

_What's so special about the stars and some dead guys? What makes one king greater than the others?_ Kovu mused as he followed Simba. The land was darkening, bringing forth his fear of Simba's claws and teeth, which had only subsided slightly since he'd come to the Pride Lands.

Kovu stuffed the fear down.

_If Simba's willing to stand between me and a cranky, old lioness after I bit her, he's probably not gonna kill me... Probably…_

Eventually Simba led him to a grassy hill.

"Here's a good spot." Simba sat down before lying down on his stomach, his forelegs stretched out before him.

Kovu sat down nearby. He shivered involuntarily, and Simba looked over at him.

"Cold?"

Kovu quickly shook his head. "I'm fine."

Simba hesitated for a moment before he gave a slight nod and lifted his nose to the sky. "Kovu, I want you to look up."

Craning his neck back, Kovu looked at the sky.

"Kovu, I want to explain something that my father once told me... The stars, Kovu- what do you see?"

"Stars?" Kovu shrugged.

"Do you know about the Great Kings of the Past, Kovu?"

He shrugged again. "Kiara mentioned it." He made a noise of hesitation, not getting anything out at first. "I... I asked her if Scar was up there. She didn't know."

_ Mother would want his star up there... but she's never even mentioned it... You'd think she would've mentioned that if he can tell her things in her dreams..._

Simba gave a little sigh. "Kovu, I want to talk to you... about Scar."

"Scar?" Kovu repeated. He glanced away.

Simba nodded. "Yes." He paused a moment. "I'm not completely sure what Zira has told you, but let me tell you what I know..." Again, Simba paused. "Scar was responsible for the death of Mufasa- my father, his brother. Scar staged a stampede and left me in its path. My father saw I was in danger, and he died trying to save me. I thought it was my fault for years. I couldn't face my family, and that's why I ran away from home. After my father was gone," Simba went on, "Scar let hyenas into the Pride Lands and let them over hunt. He had made a deal with them. When the food was gone, the pride was starving, but Scar refused to leave Pride Rock. Nala had to leave to find help, and she found me. I hadn't been to the Pride Lands since I was Kiara's age. When I came home to face Scar, I gave him the chance to leave, but he refused to go peacefully. He blamed the hyenas for being the 'real enemy'. We did fight. I was able to overpower him, and in the end, the very hyenas he'd counted on to help him turned on him in their hunger. They killed Scar.

"Scar," Simba continued, "couldn't let go of his hate, either. In the end, that's what really destroyed him."

"What?" Kovu narrowed his eyes at Simba. "I-I don't understand." His head whirled as he tried to absorb all what Simba had said. "And how can _hate_ destroy someone? Lions destroy each other, right? Hyenas and lions can destroy each other. Mother wants to-" Kovu checked himself when he'd said too much. His face grew hot, although Simba didn't acknowledge his mistake. Kovu turned his head away. "I-I-I mean-"

"Yes, lions can destroy each other," Simba said slowly. "But sometimes there are bad things inside of us that harm who we are. Darkness. Scar couldn't let go of the jealousy he had for my father and me. He wanted to be king of Pride Rock so badly that he wanted my father and I out of the way. He wanted us dead instead of caring about us like a real member of the family."

"That's not what Mother taught me about Scar," Kovu said boldly. "My mother wouldn't lie to me..."

_But she has! She has lied! About Simba! About Nala! About Sarabi! Nothing makes sense anymore! _

He knew his mother would've punished him for challenging her, but Simba only blinked and frowned. He lifted his chin slightly. "I'm sorry, Kovu, but your mother has lied to you. I don't know why, but she has."

"What?" Kovu narrowed his eyes. "How could you know that? You exiled us. Mother's not a liar."

_She is she is she is!_

"She said that I killed Scar, right? That's what you told me this afternoon." When Kovu didn't respond, Simba said calmly, "She has not only lied about what happened to Scar, but she believed that I had intentions to kill you and the other cubs who went into exile with you. I told her and the other lionesses you'd all be safe here, but she continued to tell the mothers that they were in danger. Kovu, do you think I-"

"One of you has to be wrong." Kovu glared at the king. He thought he understood his place in life well enough, that there was only the truth, and everything else was a lie. There was your family, and then there was the enemy. He'd only needed to justify murder because he was a coward. Now Simba was telling him that the biggest reason that they'd left the Pride Lands was nothing but a baseless fear? That his family was in the wrong? "Why should I believe my family's enemy? Why _wouldn't _you lie to trick me?"

Simba's face fell a little. "Kovu, I wish I were lying… I trusted my uncle. I really liked him. He hid his hatred for me- or maybe I just didn't want to see it." Simba crossed his paws. "I didn't want to believe he'd killed my father and had tried to kill me. I was just a cub, and he'd tried to blame me for a king's death..." Simba trailed off and looked down. His nose twitched. Simba looked up again. "Kovu, I'm sorry your family ended up where they did. Your mother didn't trust me and she held a grudge against me, but I wasn't in my right mind when I told her, you, and the other lions in your pride to leave." Simba looked up at the sky again. His face grew long and he blinked. "My son died just before your exile. Kopa was sick often, and we couldn't do anything for him. That's just how it was. And after all I'd been through…"

Mesmerized, Kovu watched. The bridge of Simba's nose wrinkled, and his jaw trembled a bit. Simba then bowed his head so his mane hid his face.

_Kiara was right._

Kovu had never seen anyone look so vulnerable... much less a king.

A chill ran down his spine.

_Is that why he's been taking care of me? Do I remind him of his dead son?_

Kovu lowered his ears and looked away, now incredibly uncomfortable. No lion had ever opened up to him like this. Nuka harbored pain, but the possibility of learning the truth of what really bothered his older brother was hopeless. His mother had gone on and on about how much she missed Scar and hated Simba, but her anger and fury were only met by more, increasingly bitter hatred.

"Kovu, what do I have to gain by lying to you?" Simba asked, half of his composure regained. "I only want you to understand. I know you haven't been here for very long, and I understand, and you have every right not to trust me." Simba breathed out through his nose. "I just hope that one day you do trust me. And although you'll be treated well here, I can't replace your mother."

_Just like I can't truly replace your son._

_"…We must fulfill Scar's wish and train you to become the next king, to take back your throne from Simba. Don't feel anything for these dirty little termites. They're nothing. What matters is that you avenge Scar's murder."_

The scabbed-over scratch on Kovu's side tingled.

_"Zira shouldn't have treated you like that. You do belong to my pride now..."_

The space between Kovu's eyes creased in worry. Was Simba getting to him? Would he become his family's enemy rather than their hero? Or was this all that he'd been searching for? That there was more to life than just killing? His mother didn't want him to feel for the enemy, but how could he distance himself, while also winning the trust of the only lions to have ever shown him true kindness- unconditionally? He didn't have to kill for them. His mother had been outnumbered by the pridelanders, and yet they had let her leave unharmed. He really _had_ found _no_ reason to hate the pridelanders, and Simba had just cast doubt over the biggest reason his mother had given him to hate them.

_Should I really be trying to understand my enemy? I want to understand, but... what if I understand my enemy _so_ well that I can't help but feel like I'm picking one side and betraying the other? And what if my family isn't the side I want to pick?_

"Simba...?" Kovu spoke up after the long silence.

"Yes, Kovu?"

"I... Is... there any good in my mother? What about her? She…" He paused, searching for words. He couldn't admit out loud to Simba that his mother wanted him dead, even if the king knew it. He finished, "...doesn't like you at all. She hates you because Scar's dead." He paused again. He needed to hear Simba's vision of the enemy, to compare it to the image his mother had for him. Simba had been too much of a stumble-tongue that afternoon when Kovu had asked him if he hated him and his mother. "D'you think she's all bad? Inside?"

Simba looked away. "Maybe."

Kovu frowned, unsatisfied by the quick, awkward answer. There had to be more. His mother was obsessed with hating Simba. Her hatred for Simba was almost the very reason why she was still breathing, and all Simba had to say was 'maybe'?

"I think she's had a hard life," Simba added, unhelpfully.

_Does avenging Scar's murder really matter that much…? Or is it that she wants Simba to pay for taking Scar away from her...? Or does she just want the Pride Lands for herself?_

Both Kovu and Simba turned their attention back to the stars. The stars twinkled against a deep blue-black cloudless backdrop.

Kovu then asked quietly, "What about me? Is there a darkness in me, too?"

"I think... that there's a lot of good in you. Everyone has some of both."

Kovu looked at Simba. "Really?"

There was a small smile on Simba's face when he nodded and replied, "Mmm-hmm. And... if you grow the good, it will be strong enough to keep the darkness away."

Kovu looked at the stars again, wondering if his mother was pacing the night away under the same stars, brooding over what Simba had taken away from her.

_Do I grow the good then? Do I listen to Simba? Mother would rather see me grow the bad instead of the good…_

"But you won't be alone," Simba remarked. "You'll always have the stars and me to guide you as long as you live here." Something flitted across Simba's face, something that Kovu couldn't fully grasp before it was gone again. "You might have your past, but you also have your future."

Kovu blinked. Deep down, Kovu knew Simba's words went against _everything_ his mother had said... yet somehow he felt as if what Simba was saying was what he had been waiting to hear all his life. There was a chance that he hadn't been born just to kill.

_How can my enemy want me to be good when Mother wants me to _do_ good by the family and murder Simba?_

"It's getting kinda cold out," Simba said, putting Kovu's conflicted thoughts on pause. "C'mon, why don't we head back." He stood up and then chuckled. "If Kiara asks, tell her you saw the rabbit. I'll show you another time, okay?"

Kovu nodded, and followed after Simba as they headed back to Pride Rock.

Kovu's head and heart ached. Who was he to trust? Could he trust anyone besides himself?

_Do I trust my own mother... or Simba...?_


End file.
